Enhance Your Education

Distinctive Programs in Art

There are ample opportunities to enhance your studies through direct encounters with original, high-quality works of art. Trips to Chicago, St. Louis, and New York give you the chance to meet with artists and visit museums, galleries, and architectural monuments. Artists who visit campus regularly speak with classes and meet with individual students, often combined with an exhibition of the artist's work.

Knox also offers art students the chance to participate in independent research, off-campus study, and internships, which offer the opportunity to apply your skills in real world situations.

Student Research and Creative Projects
Knox is a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. In fact, more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. Many students' projects are supported by an unusually rich array of Knox College funding programs that together provide students more than $200,000 each year in support of their work. These sources include: Richter Memorial Scholars Program, Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program and departmentally supported independent studies. In addition, special fellowships awarded to Knox through national competitions and through the research grants of Knox faculty make Knox a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. Examples of recent research projects include:

• "Non-Perceptual Painting," Mercedes Klein, '07, art and gender & women's studies major.
• "Continuing Painting and Mixed Media," Amy Daws, '06, art major, independent study/senior research funded by Richter program.
• "Visual Music (Large Scale Drawings)," Priscila De Lima, '06, art major, independent study/senior research funded by Richter program.
• "Observational Painting Study," Matthew Katz, '06, art and art history major.
• "Textile Design," Caitlyn Ray, '06, art major.
• "Open Studio: Body of Work," Keenan Wells, '06, art and art history major, independent study/senior research funded by Richter program.

College Honors
Outstanding students may elect to undertake College Honors in their senior year, carrying out an advanced research project presented and defended to a faculty committee that includes a distinguished outside examiner. Examples of recent Honors projects include:

• Studio Art: "Analysis of Perception: Color Theory and Space, With an Emphasis on the Role of Art History in Painting," Carrie Anne Ramig, '09.
• Studio Art: "Analysis of Media: Matter, Spirit, and Intellect," Priscila De Lima, '05.
• Studio Art: "Silent Scream," Jennifer Cooper, '04.
• Multimedia (English, Japanese, Art, Music, Theatre): "Between Creation and Translation: Concept to Story, English to Japanese, Story to Animation," Jasmine Jobe, '04.

Off-Campus Opportunities
Knox offers you plenty of opportunities to begin exploring the world while still a student. Almost 50 % of Knox students participate in off-campus study and consider their studies abroad to be the highlight of their college experiences. Knox offers several off-campus study opportunities, both in the United States and abroad, that provide valuable experiences for students interested in art and art history.

• Chicago Program in the Arts gives you intensive exposure to the dynamic arts scene in this major American city. Your time in the program will include an internship with a gallery, an arts service organization or an individual artist, an interdisciplinary core course, specialized topic courses and visits to a wide variety of cultural events.
• Arts of London and Florence program immerses you in the arts, drawing upon the cultural resources of the two cities to explore the historical and contemporary richness of Western culture. Courses in art, architecture, drama, Italian language and history will be complemented by trips to museums, galleries and the theater, as well as discussions with local scholars.
• Florence Semester includes living with an Italian family, in a city that provides the perfect environment for study of Renaissance art. Your understanding of the richness of its artistic and cultural heritage will be facilitated by Italian language instruction and courses providing a broad perspective on Italian contributions to world civilization. Course work will be supplemented by field trips to museums and galleries and to other Italian cities.
• Knox in New York is a unique course that combines Studio Art and Art History. It is a Fall Term course, offered every other year, that extends into Winter Break. At Knox, students participate in a seminar course that focuses on European and New York artists and art movements from the early 20th century to the present. In New York, students visit galleries and museum collections, present a research project, and attend classes and lectures at the Studio School. In the last week, students return to Knox to resolve a body of work based on their experiences in New York.

On-Campus Events
The annual Al Young Art Exhibition awards endowed prizes in drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics and sculpture. Each year, a significant artist is brought to campus to judge the Al Young competition and to provide individual critiques for the student competitors. Recent judges have included John Walker (Yale University), Judy Koon (School of the Art Institute, Chicago), Stanley Lewis (American University), Bernard Chaet (Yale) and Patti Warashina (University of Washington).

Internships
As a student of art at Knox, you'll have the opportunity to expand your education -- to get that valuable experience you hear so much about -- by completing an internship. Internships provide an opportunity to explore and test career options, to gain experiences and skills needed to succeed as a professional, to build a resume, to network and make critical connections, and to experience a work environment. More and more employers are looking for college graduates with career-related experience. Knox's Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development specializes in helping you find an internship that best matches your goals and interests. Recent internships by art students include:

• Graphic Design Intern, Illinois Central College, Peoria, Illinois. Priscilla De Lima, '05, studio art major.
• Summer Project Intern, Global Project, Moscow, Russia. Dana Johnson, '06, educational studies and art major.